Internal-combustion engine



March 6, 1928. 1,661,558 I E. R. BURTNETT INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed April 2, 1925 Patented Mar. 6, 1928.

UNITED STATES v, 31,661,558 PATENT OFFICE.

EVERETT n. EUETNETnoE nos ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR, 13v nIEE'c AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, To THE AUTOMOTIVE VALVES 00., DE LOS ANGELES, CALI- FORNIA, A VOLUNTARY TRUST.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Application filed April 2, 1925. Serial No. 20,118.

to the inlet valves of the cylinders that,

during light load operation, when the volaimeinducted is low and the ducts large enough to permit high volume etliciency at full load engine operation, thelow volume movement through the large ducts, fails to provide suiiicient volume velocity; to prevent the liquid parts metered to the air at the V carburetor from dropping orfalling out of the air stream and collecting in ools on flat surfaces or in drainage traps t at may be formed in the bottoms of the ducts. 1

Further, it is understood that when the throttle is opened suddenly and the volume inducted through the ducts is increased, and

the velocity of flow of said volume is infcreased,the liquid collected on the bottom surfaces of the duct will be swept into the cylinders in liquid form, thereby greatly retarding combustion, contaminating the .lubrication of the engine and materially decreasing acceleration and engine performance. a or Therefore, it is the object of my invention to provide an inverted form of duct that leads from the metering device or carburetor, to the top of the cylinder or barrel of the piston valve with the ports that are formed in the piston valve cylinder connecting the chamber within the piston valve cylinder and said inverted inlet duct with an annular chamber formed around the piston valve cylinder, said duct leading on one side to the engine cylinder to which the fuel mixture is to be inducted and the floor of this annular chamber that surrounds the piston valve cylinder and joins the piston valve ports with the induction cylinder being inclined down wardly toward saidinduction cylinder chamber, thereby providing drainage at all times by gravity to the induction cylinder, regardless of charge induction velocity.

- With the foregoing and other objects in View, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts that will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanymg drawlngs 1n wh1ch:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section taken through the center of an engine that is equipped with my improved piston valve structure.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on, the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. I Y

Referring by numerals to the accompanying'drawings, 1 designates a cylinder block in which is formed a bore having two diam- 'eters, that portion of theborc havingthe smaller diameter functions asa combustion chamber 11 and the portion having the larger diameter functions as a chargepumping chamber 12.

Arranged for reciprocatory movement vithin the chambers 11 and 12 is a tWo diameter piston 13 that is connected in the usual manner by aconnecting rod 14 to the crank or throw of a crank shaft 15.

The charge volume to combustion chamher 11 is admitted through inlet ports 16, the

latter being located in a plane where they are uncovered and open only when piston 13 is at the lower or outer end of its stroke.

Leading from the upper end of pumping chamber 12 is a port 17 that permits the outlet of gaseous fuel or charge volume from said pumping chamber. l

vlTormed integral with or fixed to the side of. cylinder 10, is a relatively short piston valve cylinder or barrel 18,within which is arranged for reciprocative movement, a piston valve 19. This piston valve is connected in th'e'usual manner by connecting rod 20 to an eccentric or crank shaft 21, that is mounted for operation in suitable bearings and which is adapted to be driven, in any suitable manner at engine'speed, or. at the same speed with crank shaft 15.

One end of an inverted U-shaped duct 522 communicates directly with the upper end of the valve chamber within cylinder 18 and the other end of this duct is in direct communication with a source of gaseous fuel supply, for instance, a carburetor.

Formed in the wall around the upper portion of valve cylinder 18 is an annular chamber 23, and leading therefrom through the wall of cylinder 10 and communicating with the upper portion of the pump chamber 12 is a port 24.

- shaped duct 22, the flow ous fuel to pumping chamber Leading from the annular chamber 23, through the wall of cylinder 18 and communicating directly with the piston valve chamber, is a series of ports 25, the same occupying a. plane where they are uncovered and open only when piston valve 19 is at the lower end of its stroke.

All portions of the surface of the floor at the bottom of the annular chamber 23 decline gradually toward port 2 1, that enters the pumping chamber 12 and, as a result of this construction, any drops or particles of liquid that might otherwise tend to accumulate on the surface at the bottom of the annular chamber will flow by gravity downward over said inclined surface and discharge through port 2 1 into pumping charnber 12. I

It will be understood that the cranks to which piston 13 and piston valve 19 are connected, are disposed so that piston valve starts to move downward slightly in advance of the initial downward movement of piston 13. so that as piston 13 continues to move downward, gaseous fuel is drawn from the carburetor through inverted U-shaped duct 22, into the upper portion of the piston valve chamber from thence through ports 25, and thence through annular chamber 23 and port 24: into pumping chamber 12.

Thus. from the top of the inverted U- of incoming gase- 12 is in a general downward direction and, as a result, any condensation or any drops or particles of liquid that might separate from the inflowing gaseous fuel will, by gravity and the force of the flow of gas through the piston valve chamber be carried directly into the pumping or charge induction cylinder chamber 12.

From chamber 12. the inductor gaseous fuel will, on the upward stroke of piston 13 be forced out thru port 17 and thence thru a suitably arranged duct (not shown) into an adjacent combustion chamber, therein to be compressed and ignited so as to force the piston therein downward on its power stroke.

For a more detailed description of the operation of the structure herein shown and described, reference may be had to U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,511,707, issued October 14. 1924.

It will be understood that, during the upward or compression stroke of the piston 13, piston valve 19 closes ports so as to out ofl the passage of gaseous fuel from duct 22 into annular chamber 23 and into pumping chamber 12.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a piston valve structure for cll'ccting, in an advantageous and efficient manner, the charge admission function to the pumping or induction chamber of an internal combustion engine.

It will be understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts of my improved internal combustion engine may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

In an internal combustion engine. a piston valve cylinder, open at its upper end for the reception of gaseous fuel, the wall of said cylinder being provided with an annular chamber having an outlet on one side, the bottom surface of which annular chamber declines toward said outlet. said annular chamber having communication with the chamber within the piston valve cylinder by means of ports formed through the inner portion of the valve cylinder wall and a piston valve arranged for reciprocatory movement within said valve cylinder.

In testimony whereof I atiix my signature.

EVERETT R. BURT NETT.

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